Fire-hydrant.



No. 723,532. 4 PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

I G. E. JONES.

FIRE HYDRANT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEroE.

CHARLES E. JONES, OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLA- MQRGAN PIPE AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA.

FIRE'J-HY'DRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters ZPatent No. 723,532, dated March 24, 1903. 1

I Application filedfl'anuary 21, 1902. Serial No. 90,680. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. JoNEs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ly nchburg, in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia, -have invented -a new and useful Fire-Hydrant,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire hydrants wherein the controlling-valve thereof is normal ly seated by the water-pressure from the main, and has for its object-to provide an improved hydrant of this type wherein the controlling-valve is readily manipulated, so as to be opened against the water-pressure. Heretofore in this type of hydrant the valve has usually been held upon the valve-stem by a pair of nuts which clarnp against the valve, whereby the screw-threaded joint between the valve and the stem forms a passage through which the waterunder pressure is forced into the body of the hydrant and a serious leakage results.

In view of these disadvantages it is the essential object of the present invention to pro- Vide a water-tight joint or connection between the valve and the valve-stem, so as to, effectually prevent the water from the main leaking into the body of the hydrant when the valve is closed.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and miuor'details may be made within the scope of the.claims without departing from the 'spiritbr sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hydrant embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sec tional view taken through the improved valve to illustrate the water-tight joint between said valve and the valve-stem.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

it will be seen that the body of the present hydrant comprises a lower upstanding cylindrical shell member 1 and an upper shell member 2, fitted into the lower or outer shell member through the'open top thereof. The

outer member is provided with a bottom marginal flange 3, to which is bolted an elbowbase 4, having its horizontal branch provided with a coupling portion 5 for engagement with a water-main. The inner or upper shellsection is provided with a pendent cylindrical flange 6, which embraces the upper flanged end of the outer shell member 1 and is bolted thereto by a plurality of bolts 7, so as to hold the lower end of the inner shell snugly against the upper packing-Ting of a removable valveseat 8, supported upon an annular flange 9 of 'the elbow-base 4. The upper endportion of the shell 2 is provided with a plurality of hose-couplings 10 of difierent diameter, so that several difierent gages of hose may be connected to the hydrant.

Located centrally within the body of the hydrant is a polygonal valve-stein 11, the upper end of which works in a guide-casing 12, pendent from the top of the shell member 2 and provided at its lower end with a polygonal opening for the reception of the valvestein, thereby to prevent turning of the latter. Projected through the top of the casing 2 is a rotatable key-post 13, the lower end portion of which is tubular and interiorly screw-threaded for the reception of a correspondingly screw-threaded red uce'd upper ter minal 14 of the valve-stem. The upper end of the valve-post is-projected exterior-1y of the hydrant and made polygonal, as at 15, for the reception-of a suitable key, whereby the post may be turned and the valve-stem thereby moved in an endwise direction, so as to un-- seat the valve at the lower end of the stem. As best illustrated in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the lower end of the valve-stem is reduced, and the opposite end portions of this reduced part are screw-threaded, as indicated at 16 and 17, respectively, the intermediate portion, which lies between the two screwthreaded portions, being smooth. A nut 18 is fitted to the inner or upper screw-threaded portion 16, and against the under side of this nut lies a metallic head or washer 19. A simi- IOO lar head or washer is fitted to the terminal screw-threaded portion, and between the two heads is a compressible washer 21, of rubber, leather, or other suitable material.

is not provided with anopening extending entirely through the same, as is true of other hydrant-valves, but is provided in its upper portion with a screw-threaded socket 22, the lower end of which is closed, whereby the I joint between the valve and the lower end of the stem is entirely closed, so that it is impossible for water to be forced upwardly through the valve and into the body of the hydrant. For convenience in fitting the lower It will. .here be noted that the lower head or washer head or section to the valve-stein the outer or lower face of the section is provided with a central polygonal wrench-head 23. A central pendent tu bular guide-socket 24 is formed integrally with the lower valve head or section 20, the lower end of this socket being open, so as to telescope upon the guide-pin or projection 25, carried by the bottom of the elbow-base 4. By this arrangement the valve is efiectively'guided in its movement by a guide which is located externally of the body of the hydrant, so that the latter may be entirely unobstructed throughout its entire interior area. As clearlyshown in Fig. 1-}, it will be seen that the wrench-seat 28 is located externally upon the guide member 24, which telescopes upon the pin 25, and instead of bethe receptionof a spring-actuated valveplunger 28, having a laterally-offset and pendent trip 29, the lower end of which lies in the path of the upward movement of the controlling-v'alve, so that when the controlling-valve is closed the vent will be opened, thereby to drain all of thewater from the interior of the hydrant. The inner shell 2 is provided with an inner'lateral projection 30, and a spring 31 is inti'rposed between this lug and the valve 28, so as to seat the same when thecontrolling-valve is depressed out of engagement with the trip 29.

veassz That portion of the body of the hydrant which is under ground is surrounded by a sectional jacket 32 to form a dead-air space about the hydrant for the pnrp 386 of protecting the latter against frost.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the present controlling-valve is normally seated by the pressure of the water from the main and is vnseated by manipulating the key-post 15, so as to force the valve downwardly and thereby permit of the water rising into the bod y of the hyd rantand thence outwardly through one or more of the discharges formed by the hosecouplings 10. Furthermore,'by having the lower metallic valve-section in the nature of a cap or, in other words, provided with a screw-threaded socket having its inner end closed and receiving a screw-threaded portion of the valvestem the under surface of the valve is entirely free from joints, whereby there are no passages in the valve through which the water mayescape into the interior of the hydrant.

What I claim is-- l. A pressure-valve, comprising a valvestem' having a screw-threaded terminal, a compressible valve-body applied to the screwthreaded end of the stem, and a pair of valveclam ping f'nembers alsoapplied to the screwthreaded end of the stem and snugly embracing the body, the inner face of the outer member being provided with a screwthreaded socket receiving the screw-threaded terminal of the stem, and the innerend of said socket being closed by an integral wall, the outer face of said'member being entirely free from joints and also provided with a longitudinallyprojected and open -ended tubular guidesocket.

2. In a hydrant, the combination with a shell, and a valve-seat'therein, of a valve-stem having a screw-threaded terminal, and a pressurevalve having a screw-threaded socket receiving the screw-threaded endoi the stem, the opposite face of the valve being free from joints and provided with a guidesocket, and a guide projection carried by one of the walls of the hydrant and projected into the guide-socket.

In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed'my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- CHARLES E. JONES. Witnesses:

JNo M. OTEY, W. D. ADAMS, J r. 

